History, B.A.

Learning Outcomes

Students will identify major events, people, themes, and historical processes in distinct major chronological, thematic, and/or geographic fields of history (e.g., Africa, Asia, history of science, Latin America, Latin America, pre-modern Europe, public history, U.S., etc.)

Students will identify appropriate source materials through consulting with librarians, search engines, and other resources available through Thomas Cooper library and the internet. They will filter the overwhelming amount of material available on the web and target those sources most relevant and trustworthy.

Students will be able to explain the main points of a primary source (whether textual or non-textual), analyze its nature or bias(es), and determine to what other primary and secondary sources it might be usefully compared.

Students will be able to summarize interpretations of specific historical events and assess an interpretation s validity to a given subject.

Students will be able to produce brief essays demonstrating their abilities at comprehending, classifying, outlining, organizing, and critiquing sources provided in oral, material, and/or written form.

Students will demonstrate their expertise in the analysis of primary sources, the integration of primary and secondary material, and the presentation of a persuasive, logical, and clearly written argument through the production of a senior thesis paper or other research project.

Basic Degree Requirements for Bachelor of Arts Degrees (120 Hours)

Note: Bachelor of Arts degrees require 120 hours. Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees require additional hours; see Program of Study for major requirements.

Carolina Core Plus General Education Requirements

Major

Cognate or Minor Requirements (optional for BAIS majors)

Electives

1. Carolina Core Plus General Education Requirements

Note: Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degrees follow General Education Requirements for the BA except where specified in Programs of Study for major requirements.

Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the minimal passing grade on the exit examination in the 122 course is required for all baccalaureate degrees. Students can demonstrate this proficiency by successfully completing Phase II of the Proficiency Test or by successfully completing the 122 course, including the exit exam administered as part of that course.

It is strongly recommended that students continuing the study of a foreign language begin college-level study of that language in their first semester and continue in that language until their particular foreign language requirement is completed.

One Carolina Core GHS-approved course primarily focused on U.S. History: HIST 111, 112, 214, or another GHS-approved course determined by the College of Arts and Sciences to fit this geographic category and

Senior Seminar or Thesis (3 Hours)

SCHC 499 Honors Thesis may substitute if this thesis is directed by a member of the history faculty.

Note:

Student should have had an upper-level course in a field relevant to the seminar or thesis.

History Electives (12 Hours)

Select 4 additional history courses, 200-level or above.

The Assistant Chair and Undergraduate Director will determine into which groups specific History courses fall in consultation with the faculty member teaching the class. The Undergraduate Committee of the History Department must approve exceptions to the distribution requirements.

B.A. with Distinction

Students who fulfill the requirements for the general major may earn a B.A. with Distinction upon the completion of the following additional requirements:

Declare their intention to pursue a degree with distinction before the beginning of their senior year, that is, before they have begun the last 30 units of their undergraduate degree.

Have a minimum 3.60 GPA in the major and 3.50 overall GPA at the time of declaration of intent and maintain these GPA requirements.

Complete an additional 9 hours of History courses at the 200-level or higher (only 6 hours of 200-level History courses may count towards the requirements for the major and graduation with distinction).

Notify the professor of their Senior Seminar or Thesis course in writing by the end of the first week of class that they intend to pursue a degree “with distinction” and complete to the professor’s satisfaction the additional research necessary for work “with distinction.”

Public presentation of their research at Discovery Day.

Students who want a degree “with distinction” from the History Department and a degree “with honors from the South Carolina Honors College” must complete two separate research projects.

The Warwick Exchange Program

Selected history majors spend the junior year at the University of Warwick, Coventry, England, and maintain normal progress toward graduation.

3. Cognate or Minor Requirements (12-18 Hours) for B.A. Degrees

Cognate

The cognate is intended to support the course work in the major. The cognate must consist of twelve (12) hours of courses at the advanced level, outside of but related to the major. The cognate may be taken in one or more departments or programs, depending on the interests of the student and the judgment of the advisor.

For cognate course offerings in other colleges, consult the appropriate sections of this bulletin. Some major programs have specific cognate requirements.

It should be emphasized that the cognate is not a second set of elective courses to be chosen at random by the student. The cognate must be approved by the major advisor as being related to the major field of study. Students are urged to consult their major advisors for specific requirements in their major.

For Bachelor of Arts degrees, all cognate courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

Minor

In place of the cognate a student in the College of Arts and Sciences may choose a minor consisting of at least 18 credit hours of prescribed courses. (Some minors in the sciences require a minimum of 16 hours.) The subject area of the minor may be related to the major. Students pursuing interdisciplinary minors who wish to use courses in their major department for minor credit must petition the College Committee on Scholastic Standards and Petitions for permission to do so.

The minor is intended to develop a coherent basic preparation in a second area of study. It differs from the cognate inasmuch as the courses must be concentrated in one area and must follow a structured sequence. Interdisciplinary minors can be designed with the approval of the assistant dean for academic affairs and advising.

Courses applied toward general education requirements cannot be counted toward the minor. No course may satisfy both major and minor requirements. All minor courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. At least half of the courses in the minor must be completed in residence at the University.

4. Electives for B.A. Degrees and B.F.A.

No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences. The College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the College of Arts and Sciences.